Israel govt warns Israelis to immediately leave Kashmir: Report

The Israeli government warned Israelis in Kashmir to leave as soon as possible, citing the local government’s call for tourists to depart in light of security concerns, Times of Israel reported.Even before the new travel advisory by the Counter-Terrorism Bureau at the Prime Minister’s Office, Israel has long warned its citizens to avoid the region due to terror threats and military tensions between India and Pakistan, the report said.A government order in Kashmir on Friday asked tourists and Hindu pilgrims visiting a Himalayan cave shrine “to curtail their stay” in the disputed territory, citing security concerns and intensifying tensions following India’s announcement it was sending more troops to the region.Kashmir’s home secretary, Shaleen Kabra, said in the order that the pilgrims and tourists should “curtail their stay in the [Kashmir] valley immediately and take necessary measures to return as soon as possible.”The order cited “prevailing security situation” and the “latest intelligence inputs of terror threats with specific targeting” of the annual Hindu pilgrimage as reasons for the advisory. The 45-day annual pilgrimage draws hundreds of thousands of people to the hallowed mountain cave, the Amarnath shrine.